Observation/Reflection #5 - How Do We Stop This Thing?
Observe how and when your teacher closes his or her lessons and/or activities. How does he or she end each class period? Is there a set routine? If so, describe it. Pay special attention to when you teacher begins to end the class. Does he or she return to the purpose or main idea of the lesson? Does he or she "set up" the homework or the next day's activity? Is the teacher still teaching when the bell rings or are students already poised to leave? Is there some "dead time" at the end of the class period? If so, how much? How do students react to your teacher's closing strategies? Remember that these questions are a guide and that you don't have to answer each one. Be sure you reflect on your observations and describe how you will try to end your classes. What supports for these ideas might you include in your lesson plans?
Observations:
During the class I observed, the students were completing a lab activity where there were various stations set up around the room that had one graduated cylinder at each station. The size of the cylinders varied and the student's task was to measure the volume of certain objects by observing how much water was displaced in the cylinder. They had a sheet to fill out that asked them to record the increments of the cylinder, what each tick represented in between each number, and what starting and ending volumes were before and after the object was placed into the cylinders. Once the students were finished with the activity, they returned to their seats and Mrs. A said that there wasn't enough time to review the results but to be prepared to go over them on Monday. She then gave a reminder that there was going to be a quiz on Monday and repeated the material that was going to be on the quiz to the students. Mrs. A works right to the bell most of the time, usually reviewing what happened that day or helping students get organized and make sure they know what the homework is. The students can expect this each class period and therefore it has become a routine.
Reflections:
I like Mrs. A's "end of the class" strategies. She usually sums up what happened that day and wraps up everything for the students so they know what the big picture was for that particular lesson and also makes sure students know what the required homework is for the following class period. Mrs. A does this every class period and so the students expect this and it has become a routine and I feel that it is beneficial for the students as well as the teacher. This way, the students know what was covered that day and what they can expect to do the following day. It's beneficial for teachers because at the end of each class period they can quickly jot down notes on how far they got in that particular class so they know where they stand in each class and whether or not they have to pick up the pace or slow down. I will definitely create a routine where my class and I start and end the class in the same manner every day. To end my classes I will maybe have an overhead of what the 'Big-Picture'/'Take Home Message' was for that day and students can copy it down as a way to sum up their notes and labs etc. This overhead or message on the board may contain key terms/concepts, equations, metaphors/acronyms (or easy ways to remember difficult concepts), pictures etc. In some cases, students will fill out 'exit slips' or answer a brief question or two about that days lesson which could count for 'homework' or in-class credit. The students need to be engaged, most importantly at the end of class when they are feeling anxious about going to their next class. As long as some kind of routine is in place, the students will know what's expected and that class is not over until the teacher says it is, not necessarily when the bell rings.
Class Topic: Water Displacement
Grade: 7
Observed by: Jillian Boisse
Observe how and when your teacher closes his or her lessons and/or activities. How does he or she end each class period? Is there a set routine? If so, describe it. Pay special attention to when you teacher begins to end the class. Does he or she return to the purpose or main idea of the lesson? Does he or she "set up" the homework or the next day's activity? Is the teacher still teaching when the bell rings or are students already poised to leave? Is there some "dead time" at the end of the class period? If so, how much? How do students react to your teacher's closing strategies? Remember that these questions are a guide and that you don't have to answer each one. Be sure you reflect on your observations and describe how you will try to end your classes. What supports for these ideas might you include in your lesson plans?
Observations:
During the class I observed, the students were completing a lab activity where there were various stations set up around the room that had one graduated cylinder at each station. The size of the cylinders varied and the student's task was to measure the volume of certain objects by observing how much water was displaced in the cylinder. They had a sheet to fill out that asked them to record the increments of the cylinder, what each tick represented in between each number, and what starting and ending volumes were before and after the object was placed into the cylinders. Once the students were finished with the activity, they returned to their seats and Mrs. A said that there wasn't enough time to review the results but to be prepared to go over them on Monday. She then gave a reminder that there was going to be a quiz on Monday and repeated the material that was going to be on the quiz to the students. Mrs. A works right to the bell most of the time, usually reviewing what happened that day or helping students get organized and make sure they know what the homework is. The students can expect this each class period and therefore it has become a routine.Reflections:
I like Mrs. A's "end of the class" strategies. She usually sums up what happened that day and wraps up everything for the students so they know what the big picture was for that particular lesson and also makes sure students know what the required homework is for the following class period. Mrs. A does this every class period and so the students expect this and it has become a routine and I feel that it is beneficial for the students as well as the teacher. This way, the students know what was covered that day and what they can expect to do the following day. It's beneficial for teachers because at the end of each class period they can quickly jot down notes on how far they got in that particular class so they know where they stand in each class and whether or not they have to pick up the pace or slow down. I will definitely create a routine where my class and I start and end the class in the same manner every day. To end my classes I will maybe have an overhead of what the 'Big-Picture'/'Take Home Message' was for that day and students can copy it down as a way to sum up their notes and labs etc. This overhead or message on the board may contain key terms/concepts, equations, metaphors/acronyms (or easy ways to remember difficult concepts), pictures etc. In some cases, students will fill out 'exit slips' or answer a brief question or two about that days lesson which could count for 'homework' or in-class credit. The students need to be engaged, most importantly at the end of class when they are feeling anxious about going to their next class. As long as some kind of routine is in place, the students will know what's expected and that class is not over until the teacher says it is, not necessarily when the bell rings.Class Topic: Water Displacement
Grade: 7
Observed by: Jillian Boisse